Christopher S. Brown, Ph.D.

VP, Research

Chris Brown is the Vice President for Research at UAB and a tenured professor in the Department of Biology. He received his B.S. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his M.S. and Ph.D. from North Carolina State University (NCSU). After a postdoctoral fellowship in biochemistry at the University of Missouri-Columbia and seven years running the space biology laboratories at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, he returned to NCSU where he took a faculty position in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology. Prior to arriving at UAB, he served as Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Development at NCSU and later as the Vice President for Research at the 16-campus University of North Carolina System.

For many years, his research focused on the effects of spaceflight – that is, altered gravity and lighting conditions relative to earth – on plant growth and development. He led and or participated in numerous projects on the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. He served as the President of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology and as a board member for Research Triangle International, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, and the UNC Coastal Studies Institute. He currently serves on the boards of the Innovation Depot, the MS/AL Sea Grant Consortium, the Alabama EPSCoR steering committee, the Economic Development Foundation of Alabama, and as a member of the executive committee of the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities' Council on Research.

In his current position, Dr. Brown and his team work with stakeholders to broaden and enhance UAB's >$500M research portfolio, strengthen research support operations, and raise the stature, visibility, and support of the UAB research enterprise nationally and internationally.

UAB is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and family-friendly environment in which all faculty and staff can excel and achieve work/life balance irrespective of race, national origin, age, genetic or family medical history, gender, faith, gender identity and expression as well as sexual orientation. UAB also encourages applications from individuals with disabilities and veterans.